Importing songs

JJazzLab can import songs from different file types using the menu File/Import songs...

Batch convert mode

If you have many files to import, you should use the batch convert mode. This modes directly imports and converts to .sng files, without opening the imported files in JJazzLab. Created .sng files will be located in the same directory than the imported files.

To activate the batch convert mode, select corresponding checkbox in the Import Songs... dialog, as shown below:

Band In A Box song files (.SGU etc.)

JJazzLab can import .SG* or .MG* song files.

Only the following Band-In-A-Box data are used to generate the corresponding JJazzLab song :

• song structure: chorus start, chorus end, number of chorus, tag after, tag start, tag end, 2 bar ending

• chord symbols: name, position (including optional push settings), rest/hold/shot settings

• song settings: allow push/rest in first/middle/last chorus.

The song import feature is not 100% reliable, but most of the files should be OK.

By default imported songs will be in 4/4. If you know that the imported song is in 3/4, then when import is done just select the initial time signature and use righ-click menu Set time signature to fix the time signature.

musicXML files (.xml, .mxl, musicxml)

JJazzLab can import musicXML (.xml, .musicxml) or compressed musicXML (.mxl). It has been tested successfully with musicXML files exported from iRealPro.

What is imported:

• Chord symbols

• Time signatures

• Section titles such "INTRO", "A", "B" found in direction/direction-type/rehearsal elements.

• Repeats, endings (1. 2. 3...), tocoda, coda, segno, DC al coda, DC al fine, DS al coda, DS al fine, as found in sound and barline elements.

• Music style information found in the groove type of a play/other-play element.

Text files (.txt)

JJazzLab can read chords from text files. 3 formats are supported, GRID-BASED, TIME-BASED, BEAT-BASED.

GRID-BASED: e.g. "| 3/4 Bb7M | D7#5 | Eb7M | Db7#11 |"

! can be used instead of |. % repeats the previous bar. Any bar can start with a time signature.

Example:

|3/4 Bb7M | D7#5 | Eb7M | Db7#11 | | Cm7 | G7 | C7M | | |4/4 Fm7 | Gm7 C7 | % | F7M |

This format is compatible with text files exported from ChordPulse.

TIME-BASED: "pos_in_seconds, chord_symbol"

The time signature and tempo must be set first so that pos_in_seconds can be converted into bar/beat. If not set, the default values are 4/4 and 120bpm.

Example: timeSignature=3/4 tempoBPM=60 0, C 3, F7 4.5, Eb7 6, D7

BEAT-BASED : "bar, beat, chord-symbol"

Note that by default bar and beat are expected to be 0-based (first bar of the song is bar 0). You can change that by adding "useBase1" at the beginning of the file, then bar and beat are expected to be 1-based.

Example: 0, 0, C 1, 0, F7 1, 1.5, Eb7 2, 0, D7

Other text format information

• Lines starting with // are ignored (comments)

• "title=My song name" : if specified the created song will use this title as name

• Accepted delimiter characters are , ; or space or tab (time or beat-based format)

Impro-Visor leadsheet files (.ls)

JJazzLab can import Impro-Visor (.ls) leadsheet files.

The import is limited to the time signatures and chord symbols.